Despite the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) installing Nirmalya Kalash (containers for flower offerings) at various immersion sites to prevent river pollution, many devotees were seen throwing flowers and garlands directly into the water during Ganesh Visarjan. Residents as well as environmental activists are irked with this.
According to PMC data, a total of 8,76,381 kilos of flower offerings were collected. Of this, nearly 6,19,662 kilos were gathered on the tenth day of the festival alone, reflecting the huge volume of floral waste generated.
PMC data shows that a total of 38 constructed tanks, 648 iron tanks at 281 locations, as well as 241 idol collection centres were set up for idol immersion, along with 328 Nirmalya Kalash. Under recycling initiatives, 46 collection centres, especially for idols made from Shadu clay, were established at ward office locations. However, despite these setups, residents complained that people were seen throwing garbage directly into the water bodies.
Yukti Dave, a resident of Fatimanagar, pointed out that the PMC didn't set up a Nirmalya Kalash in her area, which led people to dispose of flower offerings, rakhis, and idols directly into the canal.
"In Fatima Nagar, visarjan happens at three places — at the start of the bridge, in the middle and towards the end. The canal near the Empress Garden route gets filled directly with flowers, garlands and other offerings, making it a big issue. Most of it is flowers, but waste also finds its way there. I’ve even seen cows and dogs suffer because of this. I personally stopped people from dumping garbage, but the problem continues. The Saint Patrick canal route, Empress Garden route and Basti areas are the worst affected. We really need proper waste management here.”
Lakshmi Nilakantan, resident of Amanora Park Town, said, "We need stricter monitoring and greater awareness among devotees to ensure eco-friendly celebrations. My househelp told me that they had to release the flowers, garlands, etc, directly into the water bodies because on DP Road near the canal, there was no Nirmalya Kalash placed. Even near Sahyadri Hospital, there is no such provision, and garbage is being dumped directly into the river. It is very frustrating and an exasperating experience to see the city in utter neglect."
Another resident pointed out that door-to-door awareness campaigns and volunteer supervision of Nirmalya disposal could bring change.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Free Press Journal, Sandip Kadam, head of PMC's Solid Waste Management Department, said, "Around 6,50,421 Ganapati idols were immersed during the 10-day-long Ganeshotsav under PMC limits. We deployed additional staff of around 250 people to clean up the trash on roads such as Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, Kelkar Road and Karve Road. The cleanliness drive was carried out in association with the ward offices. The trash has been disposed of. Nirmalya Kalash were installed to collect garlands, flowers and other waste."
